Current work vehicles, such as tractors and other agricultural vehicles, include an engine and a transmission, such as a power shift transmission (PST) or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), rotatably coupled to the engine. In addition, work vehicles typically include an electronic controller that is configured to control the operation of the engine and the transmission to achieve desired operation. For example, an operator may provide an input to the controller selecting a desired ground speed for the work vehicle. Based on the operator input, the controller may be configured to automatically control the operation of the engine and/or the transmission such that the actual speed of the work vehicle matches the desired speed selected by the operator.
Additionally, work vehicles often include a power take-off (PTO) that is used to provide power to various implements, such as mowers, balers, forage harvesters and spreaders. Typically, PTOs are selectively connectable to a source of rotational power, such as the vehicle's engine, by a clutch that is configured to be automatically controlled via the electronic controller of the work vehicle. To date, many PTO clutch control systems have been developed that operate under a variety of control strategies designed to provide suitable functionality. However, it has been found that these conventional clutch control systems lack the ability to precisely control the engagement of the PTO clutch across a wide range of implement inertial loads. As a result, when a large inertial load is getting engaged to the PTO, current clutch control systems often control the engagement of the PTO clutch in a manner that results in engine stall and/or damage occurring to the clutch.
Accordingly, an improved system and method for controlling the engagement of a PTO clutch of a work vehicle that allows for stable clutch engagement across a range of implement inertial loads without stalling the engine and/or damaging the clutch would be welcomed in the technology.